volatilevol‧a‧tile /ˈvɒlətaɪl $ ˈvɑːlətl/ ●○○ adjective 
an increasingly volatile political situation the highly volatile stock and bond markets2someone who is volatile can suddenly become angry or violent3 technical a volatile liquid or substance changes easily into a gas OPP stable—volatility /ˌvɒləˈtɪləti $ ˌvɑː-/ noun [uncountable]
WORD ORIGINvolatile
Origin:
1500-1600 French, Latin volatilis, from volare ‘to fly’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- People are afraid to change jobs in today's volatile economy.
- She formed enduring friendships with women and more intense, volatile ones with men.
- The political situation in the Balkans is still extremely volatile.
- A high turnover may well have been justified in view of volatile markets.
- And abortion is a very volatile, emotional issue.
- As the vapours rise in the column through each successive equilibrium, they become richer in the more volatile component.
- Churn makes it harder for charities to raise money, keeps real-estate prices in check and politics volatile.
- Politics in Britain has become volatile.
- With markets so volatile, small investors are turning from do-it-yourself trading in search of greater interaction and guidance from brokers.
Longman Language Activatoroften changing or likely to change
feelings or conditions that are changeable change frequently so that it is difficult to know what they will be like in a short time: · You love him now, but at your age feelings are changeable.· I'm a changeable sort of person.· changeable weather
behaviour, processes, or services that are erratic change suddenly in an unexpected and surprising way, when it would be better if they remained the same: · Her behaviour was becoming more and more erratic.· Heating was difficult owing to erratic supplies of gas, electricity and water.· The company's erratic performance is a cause for some concern.
a volatile situation or character is likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly: · The political situation in the Balkans is still extremely volatile.· She formed enduring friendships with women and more intense, volatile ones with men.
a person, situation, or system or government that is unstable is likely to change suddenly and become worse, because there is something wrong with their character or the way things are organized: · Regimes governed by violence are always unstable.· Was it safe to trust someone who was so emotionally unstable?
changing according to the situation - use this about amounts, prices, speeds, temperatures etc: · Demand for the company's products is variable.· The weather here is likely to be very variable.
inconsistent behaviour or work changes too often from good to bad, and you cannot trust it to be good all the time: · People feel threatened when decision-making is inconsistent and arbitrary.· A succession of injuries produced an inconsistent season for one of our best players.
conditions or situations that are unsettled change frequently so that it is impossible to make plans or know what will happen: · It is dangerous to visit there while the political situation is so unsettled.· The weather has been very unsettled lately.· Eliot led a strangely unsettled life, drifting from place to place and job to job.
WORD SETSacetate, nounacid, nounacidic, adjectiveacidify, verbactive, adjectiveadditive, nounagent, nounalchemy, nounalcohol, nounalkali, nounalkaline, adjectiveamalgam, nounantioxidant, noun-ate, suffixatomic number, nounbase, nounbauxite, nounbeaker, nounbenzene, nounbiochemistry, nounbitumen, nounbleach, nounbond, nounbonding, nouncalcify, verbcarbohydrate, nouncarbonate, nouncarbon dioxide, nouncarbonize, verbcatalyst, nouncaustic, adjectivechain reaction, nounchemical, nounchemical, adjectivechemical reaction, nounchemist, nounchemistry, nounchlorinate, verbcitric acid, nouncombustion, nounconcentration, nouncondense, verbcontaminant, nouncontaminate, verbcontaminated, adjectivecorrode, verbcorrosion, nouncorrosive, adjectivecrucible, nouncrystal, nouncrystallize, verbcyanide, nounDDT, noundecay, verbdecay, noundecompose, verbdegrade, verbderive, verbdetoxification, noundextrose, noundioxin, noundispersion, noundissolve, verbdistill, verbeffervesce, verbeffervescent, adjectiveelectrolysis, nounelectrolyte, nounelectroplate, verbemulsify, verbemulsion, nounenzyme, nounexpand, verbfatty acid, nounferment, verbferment, nounflashback, nounflask, nounformaldehyde, nounformula, nounfructose, nounfungicide, nounfuse, verbgas, noungaseous, adjectiveglucose, noungranular, adjectivegraphite, nounhallucinogen, nounhelium, nounherbicide, nounhydrate, nouninert, adjectiveinsoluble, adjectiveinsulin, nounion, nounionize, verblactic acid, nounlimescale, nounlitmus, nounlitmus paper, nounlitmus test, nounmethane, nounmixture, nounmolecule, nounneon, nounnerve gas, nounneutralize, verbneutron, nounnitric acid, nounnucleic acid, nounnucleus, nounnutrient, nounorganic chemistry, nounosmosis, nounoxidize, verboxyacetylene, nounoxygenate, verbozone, nounpart, nounpectin, nounpesticide, nounpestle, nounpetrochemical, nounpH, nounphotosynthesis, nounplasma, nounpolyunsaturated, adjectivepotash, nounprecipitate, verbprecipitate, nounprecipitation, nounproduct, nounprussic acid, nounquicklime, nounradioactive, adjectiveradioactivity, nounradiology, nounreact, verbreaction, nounreactive, adjectivereagent, nounresidue, nounretort, nounriboflavin, nounsalt, nounsaltpetre, nounsaturate, verbsaturated, adjectivesaturation, nounsaturation point, nounsemiconductor, nounsoft, adjectivesolid, nounsolution, nounsolvent, nounstability, nounstabilizer, nounstable, adjectivestarch, nounsteam, nounsucrose, nounsulphate, nounsulphide, nounsulphur, nounsulphur dioxide, nounsulphuric acid, nounsulphurous, adjectivesurface tension, nounsuspension, nounsynthesize, verbsynthetic, adjectivetannin, nountartaric acid, nounTNT, noununstable, adjectivevalence, nounvitamin, nounvolatile, adjectivevulcanize, verbwater softener, nounwater-soluble, adjectivewater vapour, nounwetting agent, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY the highly volatile stock and bond marketsCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
1a volatile situation is likely to change suddenly and without warning OPP stable: the highly volatile stock and bond markets· Thus the L curve can be highly volatile.· High-tech stocks have always been highly volatile, partly because of their past booms and busts.· This is partly because changes in institutional stockholding can make markets highly volatile and therefore risky for smaller investors.· Weekly unemployment claims are a highly volatile indicator and prove little by themselves.· Long-term trends suggest that economic optimism was highly volatile.· It is highly volatile, and through its impact on productivity affects both supply and demand sides of the economy.· As a consequence, fertility has been highly volatile.
· And a temperament a lot less volatile than Arthur's could easily come to believe this was exactly what was happening.· Talk about less volatile topics: religion, politics, money.· Since the income return is higher, the overall return will be less volatile.· A portfolio of more volatile securities is more likely to generate capital losses than a portfolio composed of less volatile securities.· But they offer a more reliable, less volatile future.· It is recurrent and less volatile than many types of commercial revenue.· A solution containing a non-volatile solute is less volatile than the pure solvent.
· This is also composed of hydrocarbons and is similar to oil except that the hydrocarbon molecules are smaller and thus more volatile.· People are more relaxed, more volatile.· This leads to the futures price being more volatile than the cash index.· He predicted more volatile dealings in the short run.· However, inter-bank rates are generally slightly higher and certainly more volatile than rates in the traditional market.· Its weekly figures, based on a smaller sample, are more volatile.· Out at sea things can be a lot more volatile.· Q: The changes suggest that Nasdaq stock prices could become more volatile.
· Metal prices were the most volatile.· If we disaggregate further to the industrial sector, we find that it is investment in manufacturing that has been most volatile.
· With markets so volatile, small investors are turning from do-it-yourself trading in search of greater interaction and guidance from brokers.· He believes the First Division is so volatile that anything may yet be possible.· She was very fond of her little sister, so pretty, so volatile, so amusing.
· Shorter maturities are perhaps a little too volatile and respond to day-to-day liquidity conditions too readily to be used as such a guideline.· Steve Spurrier is too volatile, too aloof, to be beloved by any non-Gator.· But the atmosphere in the Kashmir valley seems far too volatile for any talk of elections.· Karl was ripped as too volatile, too unpredictable to control his volatile, unpredictable players.
· Elizabeth: No, I think we were two very volatile people.· Single premium business is seen as very volatile.· He was a very volatile character when playing and I can only hope that age has quietened him down.· And abortion is a very volatile, emotional issue.· She had three or four tantrums a day and was generally very volatile in her emotional state.· The market may remain very volatile, experiencing large price swings in a single day.· Lowell - very volatile - her one-time good friend.
NOUN· In a volatile market, an underwritten offer may be the only way a company can raise money.· Question: In this volatile market, what questions should I ask a financial planner I am considering using?· A high turnover may well have been justified in view of volatile markets.· They can thus avoid the costs of variety and added risk in a volatile market.· The volatile market conditions of the 1980s posed an enormous organizational challenge for each of our three case study firms in Britain.· It sells businesses it does not think it will be good at, such as those in high-technology, volatile markets.
· There is evidence that volatile materials have always been scarce on the Moon.· To do this, we need an easily accessible source of volatile materials.· The solution in the solvent is then distilled under vacuum to remove the volatile material and the residue weighed. 3.· A wide range of other volatile materials is also present in all extinct comet cores and C asteroids.· The heating can also cause the resist to form volatile materials, which contaminate the ultra-clean environment of the chip factory.
· I was trying to defuse a volatile situation.· Try to keep the volatile situation under control with understanding and patience.· They gave us confidence going into volatile situations.· A loaded revolver flying through the air brings extra instability into an already volatile situation.
an increasingly volatile political situation the highly volatile stock and bond markets2someone who is volatile can suddenly become angry or violent3 technical a volatile liquid or substance changes easily into a gas OPP stable—volatility /ˌvɒləˈtɪləti $ ˌvɑː-/ noun [uncountable]